Pilea / pilea

Refers to the family of nettle. Homeland - Southeast Asia.

General description : Ornamental-deciduous plant. There is an impressive variety of types and forms of saws, bush-shaped and ampel. They are rather unpretentious. Deficiency of the saws is the tendency to stretch and bare the stems, so it is useful to periodically cut and pinch to strengthen bushiness. Usually every spring, the plant is updated easily by rooting cuttings.

Usually in the room conditions the following species are bred:

Pilea cadieri (Pilea Kadie) - bush 30-40 cm high, stems erect. Leaves up to 7 cm long, oval, pointed and slightly serrate at the ends. The surface of the leaves is wavy. Color - silvery spots between the veins.

Pilea Norfolk (Pilea Norfolk) bush plant. In bright lighting, the paint of the sheet has a bronze hue. The underside of the leaf is red.

Pilea repens (Pileya creeping) - owns creeping stems. The leaves are rounded, with a wavy margin, small, with a shiny surface. The color is dark green with a copper tint. The lower side of the leaf is purple.

Pilea microphylla (Pilea small-leaved or mossy) is the only type of saw, which does not have any decorative leaves. It is a herbaceous plant with cirrus-branching stems and pale-green round leaves just 0.3 cm long. It can grow up to 50 cm in height.

Recommendations for the care of the plant Pilea:

Illumination : Needs bright, but diffused light.

Irrigation regime : Moderate during growth, in winter unusual, by the measure of drying of the soil. He does not adore in any way the overflow, nor the drying out of the earth. Water with soft water.

Humidity : Requires regular spraying.

Temperature regime : In summer it is optimal 18-20 ° С, in winter 16-17 ° C, not lower than 12 ° С in any way.

Soil : Drainage is mandatory. You can add charcoal and brick chips.

Recommended soil mixture: leaf, humus, 1 share of peat land and 1 share of sand.

During the growth period, it needs fertilizing once every two weeks with liquid fertilizer for indoor plants.

Breeding : Pilea is easily bred by stem stems.

Transplantation : Annually, in the spring.

Pests : Affected by a spider mite (in a dry atmosphere, leaves and stems are braided with cobwebs), thrips (grayish dots appear on the leaves), scabbards (brown plaques appear on the leaves and stems, leaving sticky discharge).

With a slight infection, the plant is allowed to help finish with a soap solution and a warm wash.

In case of severe damage, spraying with an insecticide solution (acticle, decis, phytoverm etc.) is recommended.

Pilea kadier - pilea cadieri

Pilea norfolk - pilea norfolk

Small-leafed pileae - pilea microphylla

Pilea creeping - pilea repens

Pilea bronze - pilea bronze